Classic Wheat Bread

Classic Wheat Bread

If you read my menu plan for this week, you know that I was over-budget last week and spent this week making do with things on hand. You also know that I ran out of my beloved almond flour. So, when I ran out of the sprouted bread we usually eat, I had to dig out the white whole wheat flour that I had in the back of my fridge.

I don’t often cook bread just for the joy of it. I prefer to use my baking moments for healthy muffins, which seem like more fun to me. But when I run out of bread and don’t want to make a special trip to the store, I’ll make some of my own. Once I pull it out of the oven, I’m always glad we ran out of the regular stuff.

This bread recipe is solidly good and simple. It goes well with breakfasts and can double as a hearty sandwich bread.

In a large bowl, combine:

3 1/2 cups of either whole wheat or white whole wheat flour

1 1/3 cups water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup molasses, honey, or maple syrup

1 tsp. salt

1 packet of active dry yeast dissolved in 2 Tbsp water

Stir until dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly oiled surface and knead 6-8 minutes until smooth and supple. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 60 minutes until puffy, not necessarily doubled. Shape into a log and place in a lightly greased 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch load pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise another 60 minutes or until crowned 1 inch above the pan. (I don’t always wait for it to get 1 inch above the pan, and it turns out fine.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown. Cool on a wire rack. To store, place in an empty bread bag (salvaged from the trash for another round of use!) or a ziploc bag and keep at room temperature.